Three Days in Kiev - LEVEL 4 · 2018. 11. 20. · Three Days in Kiev Last summer I travelled by...
Transcript of Three Days in Kiev - LEVEL 4 · 2018. 11. 20. · Three Days in Kiev Last summer I travelled by...
Three Days in Kiev
Last summer I travelled by train from Chisinau in Moldova to Kiev in
Ukraine. This is a train that goes to Moscow but stops in Kiev on the way.
If you trace this journey on a map, you can see that Kiev is between
Chisinau and Moscow. The journey takes thirteen hours and if you travel
by night, you don’t need a hotel. If you take this train, remember that
you can’t take a nap when you get close to Kiev because you can end up
in Russia if you don’t wake up!
Travelling by train is my favourite means of
transport. You have a lot of time to think
about where you have been and you can read
about the next place you are visiting. I think
it’s much more relaxing than flying. My train
left Chisinau 11 PM and I slept like a baby all night.
The next day, we stopped for quite a while at the border between Moldova
and Ukraine. This is where I saw a guy carrying a child under his arm. The
child seemed happy and relaxed so I guess this kid was OK. Anyway, travelling
by train, you can see all sort of things from your train window.
There are 51 countries in Europe, and Ukraine was country number 49 for me to visit. My target is to
visit all 51, of course, but I ran out of time so I’ve still got one left: Iceland. Anyway, I never stay very
long in one place and I thought three days would be alright for Kiev.
I had booked the Ukraine Hotel in the centre of Kiev, but when the taxi driver stopped in front of the
hotel, there was no name in English of the hotel anywhere, so I had to ask the taxi driver, “Are you sure
this is the Ukraine Hotel?” He said, “Yes”, so I got off.
The first thing I did after checking in was to go for a walk
through the centre of town. Immediately I got out of the
hotel, I saw Disney characters everywhere. Mickey Mouse
came up to me and asked if I wanted to take a selfie with
him. Well, how can you reject such an offer? But first, I
asked Mickey how much money he wanted for this. I know
that nothing is free. He then took off his Mickey Mouse
head and introduced himself. He was a university student
and he said he had little money and this was a good way to
earn extra cash. He added that ten euros would be nice. I
felt sorry for him so we took some selfies together and I
gave him a ten-Euro note. After that, I walked very quickly
every time I saw a Disney character nearby.
When I arrive in a new city, I usually google “free walking
tours” for my first sightseeing tour. I’ve got three reasons
why I like this version of sightseeing. First, guides who lead
free walking tours usually work really hard and are often
very funny because they know they only get good tips if people really like them. The better the guide,
the bigger the tip. Secondly, you meet other visitors who are new to the city and you can make friends
with them while you are walking. Thirdly, because you are walking, the
pace is slower and you can ask as many questions as you want while
walking.
Kiev is a big city with a very interesting history. I actually joined two
walking tours on my second day. Our tour guide, Vlad, in the morning
was both knowledgeable and friendly, whereas our guide in the
afternoon, Daryna, needed to study history more. However, both were
really funny.
I saw a lot of things during my three days in Kiev, but here are the ones I
remember the most:
St Michael’s Cathedral. I will never forget the blue colour.
The “Hedgehog in the Fog”. This is famous because this hedgehog was
in a kids’ movie 35 years ago an locals know about it.
The Old Town in Kiev. I particularly liked some of the street art.
Pinchuk ArtCentre. I always try to visit a modern art museum
everywhere I go, and I really liked this one. Also, modern art can really
reveal a lot about a country. My favourites were some huge paintings
by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, a room full of giant vases, and a real
soldier staring into a corner. Is that art? Well, I was tempted to talk to
him, but I didn’t in the end. What can you ask? “Are you art?”
Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. This is a famous monastery that is almost as big as a town, and there are
some amazing churches there. You can’t go inside in shorts, so a group of Arabic-speaking tourist I saw had to cover their legs.
The Mezhyhirya Residence. This is where the former president Yanukovych used to live in great secrecy, but it has been transformed into a public museum. I spent half a day here. The grounds are amazing, his main house is spectacular (I managed to take a picture of the inside by pressing my iPhone against a window), and his car collection is incredible. You can also feel like a president sitting on an enormous chair. I guess the size makes it a symbol of power.
Before I travelled to my next country – Belarus – I walked around the centre of town again. The atmosphere was really relaxed with lots of people everywhere. I hope I can visit Kiev again! There is no substitute for travelling if you want to learn about a new country.
Questions
1. What surprised you the most about Kiev?
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2. If you travelled to Kiev, what would you like to see?
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3. Do you think travelling is the best way to learn about a new country? Why/why not?
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© Bjorn Candel 2018